NBA Trade and Roster Rumors: Oklahoma City Thunder Committed to Keeping Paul George

By Noriel See, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, January 11, 2018

Paul George is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, but the Oklahoma City Thunder currently have no intention of moving him before the trade deadline next month.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder are "fully committed" to keeping the All-Star wing for the rest of the season because they are hoping to re-sign him this summer.

"For now, the Thunder are fully committed to playing out the season with impending free agent Paul George," Wojnarowski said in his report.

"They still have hope that a strong run in the playoffs could convince him to re-sign in Oklahoma City. Nevertheless, the Lakers were the team to beat when the Thunder made the trade, and that probably hasn't changed — although Oklahoma City has made a favorable impression on George and ultimately hopes to turn George with a deep playoff run. George has remained open-minded on a Thunder future, but there's a long way to go," he continued.

The decision not to trade George can be risky because everyone knows the Lakers are going to pursue him in the offseason. And the Thunder know full well what it feels like to see a star player walk away without getting anything in return.

Still, they will likely want to see if they can make some noise in the playoffs with the All-Star trio of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and George. But can they beat the Golden State Warriors or the San Antonio Spurs in a best-of-seven series?

In any case, the Thunder have been doing much better after a sluggish start to the season and they are currently in sixth place in the Western Conference.

George is averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals (leads the league) in under 37 minutes this season, and he's shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from three-point range, and 80.6 percent from the free-throw line.